


Autumn

by zempasuchil



Category: Dead Poets Society
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-11-17
Updated: 2004-11-17
Packaged: 2017-10-18 13:15:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/189251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zempasuchil/pseuds/zempasuchil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Golden autumn, outside, at Welton.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Autumn

Leaves were red, orange and gold, staining light and filtering sun down to the dead brown of the forest floor. The sun was about to set, listing towards the western horizon, across the lake. The glare off the water shone brightly like a path, shimmering, rippled by a cool fall breeze that sailed on to discover two boys and their books, leaning against an old oak. Pages rustled, hair was blown in whisps across a pale brow, leaves lifted, spiraled, and settled again over legs.

"Agh, I've lost my place!" An exclamation of dismay, accompanied by much flurrying of pages. "Fie on you, you foul beast, breath of wind!"

"We're on act three, part two; it's your line now. On page eighty-four," the unobtrusive one says, eyes cast down after briefly looking to see what the trouble could be ( _because it did not matter what the trouble_ was _,_ a part of him insisted, _it was what it_ could _be, and with Neil, nothing is impossible_ ).

"Are you sure?"

Todd blinks at him quizzically. "Yes."

"Positive?" Neil's look is intense, as though this is some very important test that Todd must not fail.

"Y- yes."

"If you insist. But only if you're certain. It would really be awful if you were wrong." Neil still has not found the page and has even closed the book, so intent and distracted is he with his apparent goal of flustering and confusing Todd.

"Wh- why?"

Neil is still very serious about this.

"Because," he says, "how am I to become a convincing Puck if I have an uncertain Oberon?"

Todd cracks a small smile and Neal's face is transformed as he grins and lets out peals of laughter. He flings a handful of leaves at Todd and yells, "'What hast thou _done!_ '" and Todd's small smile cracks into a larger one, and then he is laughing and throwing leaves as well. Neil rolls away to dodge the papery missiles, then tackles Todd with another yell.

Their happiness rings out over the water; the sun sets.


End file.
